Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review Regulation 51 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to require all wheeled goods vehicles to be fitted with basic safety equipment, including sideguards, to protect cyclists in the event of collisions.

baroness sugg: Most heavy goods vehicles are already required to be fitted with sideguards when new. Work is already underway to amend the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to ensure that sideguards are retained and maintained on these vehicles. The Government is also supporting new technical measures under the European Commission’s Third Mobility Package to improve further the protection of pedestrians and cyclists.

Midland Metro: Dudley

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing for the extension of metro services to Dudley.

baroness sugg: The Government is supporting the extension of metro services to Dudley through a £321.5m allocation from the ‘Transforming Cities Fund’ to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). WMCA have decided the majority of this allocation will be used to fund the construction of an extension to the Metro tram network from Wednesbury to Dudley, known as the Brierley Hill extension. As this is a devolved funding stream, the development and approval of the scheme will be for WMCA to take forward without any need for Department for Transport approval, other than the legal orders.

High Speed Two and Network Rail: Disclosure of Information

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Network Rail and HS2 have whistleblower policies; and if so, where those policies are published.

baroness sugg: HS2 Ltd has had a Whistleblowing Policy since 2014. It was updated in 2018 to incorporate the launch of the “Speak Out” reporting line. The Whistleblowing Policy is published internally on the HS2 Ltd intranet. HS2 Ltd is now working on launching the “Speak Out” reporting line outside of HS2 Ltd. At present, where any whistleblowing allegations are raised to the HS2 Helpdesk, such allegations are referred to HS2’s independent “Speak Out” line supplier. Network Rail’s whistleblowing policy is published online on the Network Rail website and is available at:https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Speak-Out-Policy-2017.pdf

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Elections

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage free and fair elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government ofthe Democratic Republic of the Congo to allow national and international election observers to observe theDecember general election in that country.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide funding in partnership with the EU to helpto ensure the legitimacy of the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) protect civil society, (2) uphold freedom of expression, and (3) guarantee security for all candidates and voters in the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government regularly calls for credible elections to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, met with Foreign Minister She Okitundu in September and encouraged the DRC Government to ensure elections go ahead. The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, also met with Okitundu last month and highlighted the importance of allowing international election observers, in order to build transparency and trust in the electoral process. Since 2015, the UK has spent £6.8 million on increasing accountability and transparency around the elections. We have provided funding for national observation through the Justice and Peace Committee. The UK has funded a Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) report into the Electronic Voting Machines and the WFD provided a list of recommendations to CENI. The British Government will continue to call for independent observation for the December 2018 elections.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure the proper implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the government of Myanmar signed in June under which the government ofMyanmar undertook to create “safe and dignified” conditions, including guaranteed security, freedom of movement, and citizenship pathways, for Rohingya refugees returning to Rakhine State from Bangladesh.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Ambassador raised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in his meeting with Burma's Minister for Social Welfare on 9 August. He called for progress on the issues covered by the MoU and pressed the Burmese authorities to grant UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UNHCR unfettered access to northern Rakhine State. The UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, speaking during the 24 October meeting of the UN Security Council, raised the UK's concern that UNDP and UNHCR continue to be denied access to large parts of Rakhine. We will continue to press for full implementation of the MoU and the creation of conditions in northern Rakhine to allow the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Marzuki Darnsman, Chair of the UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar, that an "ongoing genocide" of Rohingya people is taking place; and what action they are taking to discourage the government of Bangladesh from pursuing its recent agreement with the government of Burma to repatriate Rohingya refugees.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK proposed the briefing by the Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission to the UN Security Council on 24 October. In response to his briefing, the UK's Permanent Representative told the Council that the UK would press for progress on the creation of conditions for refugees to return, and on accountability to end Burmese military impunity. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific called the Bangladeshi State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam on 1 November to stress the UK's serious concern at Bangladesh and Burma's announcement on 30 October that refugee repatriation would commence in mid-November.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the tensions between Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon; and whataction they are takingto ease those tensions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The violence in the Anglophone regions has been generated as a result of perceived marginalisation of the Anglophone minority. The UK is deeply concerned at the deteriorating violence, deaths and displacement of people which has increased since the end of 2016, with severe effect on civilians. We are working closely with the wider international community, including the UN, to build as full and accurate a picture as possible. The UK continues to raise our concerns with the Government of Cameroon, to call for urgent action to solve this crisis. The UK calls for restraint and an end to violence on all sides.

Nuclear Weapons

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that rules introduced by Additional Protocol 1 to the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 apply only to conventional weapons, without prejudice to any other rules of international law applicable to other types of weapons, and in particular do not regulate or prohibit the use of nuclear weapons.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The position of the United Kingdom remains that the rules introduced by the Protocol apply exclusively to conventional weapons without prejudice to any other rules of international law applicable to other types of weapons. In particular, the rules so introduced do not have any effect on and do not regulate or prohibit the use of nuclear weapons.

Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking part in the US’s strategic review of the situation in Afghanistan; and whether any progress has been made in ending Afghanistan’s war since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reportin July that civilian deaths in Afghanistan for the first six months of 2018 were at a record high.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The British Government is committed to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. Civilian casualties are a tragic result of the ongoing insurgency and of terrorist attacks, including by ISKP. We continue to urge all sides to take all measures possible to avoid civilian casualties. It is vital that the lives of civilians must be protected. A political solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. The Afghan Government has shown an impressive commitment to peace. It is time for the Taleban's leaders to show true courage and true leadership and work for peace.

Conflict Resolution

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which countries UK diplomacy is playing a leading mediating, conflict resolution or peace-building role.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: UK diplomacy plays a leading role in addressing a number of conflict situations around the world. For example, we have for several years led the international response to the situation in Somalia; we have played an active role in the Troika (together with the United States and Norway) to address the conflict in South Sudan; we have given important support to the Cyprus negotiations as one of the Guarantor Powers; and we recently co-hosted a high level event in New York focusing on ending the Rohingya crisis in Burma.As a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), the UK often leads discussions on a range of conflict and post-conflict situations, including the UN strategy to combat the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa; implementation of the peace process in Colombia; resolving post-1991 legacy issues relating to Iraq; as well as the situations in Libya, Sudan and Yemen. In addition the UK plays a leading role in the UNSC on Peacekeeping (particularly reform issues), the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, and Women Peace and Security, in particular on women's participation and protection in peace processes. The UK's own domestic experience of conflict resolution and mediation enables it to provide valuable support and insights in the furtherance of inclusive peace processes around the world.

China: Religious Freedom

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last raised concerns over the treatment of the Uighur Muslim population with the government of China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and reports of the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We also issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation. In addition, we raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council, and we supported the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.

Interpol: Taiwan

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made to secure an observer place for Taiwan at the forthcoming General Assembly of Interpol, and for that country to have access to the I-24/7 global police communications system.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government believes that the people of Taiwan have a valuable contribution to make towards global issues such as organised crime. Their involvement would, in our view, improve co-operation on issues that pose a risk to the international community, including the United Kingdom and our own people. Although the UK has not made any representations to secure Taiwan’s observer status at INTERPOL this year, we are discussing this issue with international partners, including those countries on the INTERPOL Executive Committee.

Department of Health and Social Care

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of (1) emergency hospital admissions, and (2) deaths, resulting from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome; and what steps they intend to taketo reduce those numbers.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a central database to track the long-term health effects of drugs administered to women undergoing IVF treatment; and if so, when.

lord o'shaughnessy: Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a well-recognised side effect of the medicines used to stimulate a patient’s ovaries during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. The risks of OHSS are taken very seriously and information on this condition and the symptoms to look out for must be provided to all patients. Patients are warned to contact their clinic or seek other medical assistance as soon as possible if they are concerned they may be developing any of the symptoms associated with the condition.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) requires all licensed clinics to report cases of severe or critical OHSS that come to their attention. OHSS, in its most severe form, can be fatal but deaths, as a result of the condition, are extremely rare in the United Kingdom with no deaths recorded since 2006. Hospital Episode Statistics suggest there are more emergency and out-of-hours admissions than are reported to the HFEA but there is evidence to suggest that many of these admissions have been incorrectly coded for OHSS when another condition was the reason for the admission.The Government has no plans to establish a central database to monitor the long-term health implications of the medicines administered to women during IVF. However, we do track all adverse drug reactions assiduously, for example, through the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s pharmacovigilance work and the Yellow Card Scheme.

Homelessness: Death

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) guidance, (2) instructions, and (3) resources they provide to local authorities for Safeguarding Adult Reviews in relation to the deaths of homeless people; how many homeless people they estimate died in the last year for which figures are available; in how many of those cases Safeguarding Adult Reviews were carried out; and what steps they are taking to ensure that such reviews are carried out more often.

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) collate Safeguarding Adult Reviews in relation to the deaths of homeless people, and (2) conduct a review to identify patterns and amend policy accordingly.

lord o'shaughnessy: We have not provided guidance, instructions or resources to local authorities for Safeguarding Adult Reviews related to the death of homeless people. At present we do not hold data on how many homeless people died in the last year. Our statistics on Adult Safeguarding Reviews does not include information on place of residence, however, the Office for National Statistics is preparing to publish official estimates in December as experimental statistics.

Nutrition

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish recommended dietary advice, similar to that for fruit and vegetables, for meat and fish.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government recommends eating some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein as part of a healthy balanced diet. Government advice is that we should eat on average no more than 70 grams of red meat a day due to the increased risk of bowel cancer. It also recommends eating two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily, as oily fish provide long chain omega-3 fatty acids, which may help to prevent heart disease.Dietary recommendations for meat and fish consumption are published in the national food model, the Eatwell Guide and its supporting messages. The Eatwell Guide provides visual representation on national guidance of how a balanced diet looks. A copy of the Eatwell Guide is attached.Supporting documentation includes the Government Dietary Recommendations: Government recommendations for energy and nutrients for males and females aged 1-18 years and 19+ years, which outlines the breakdown of calorie, vitamin and mineral intake for different age groups. A copy of the Government Dietary Recommendations is attached.



Eatwell Guide
(PDF Document, 10.07 MB)




Government Dietary Recommendations
(PDF Document, 147.87 KB)

Disability: Children

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to analyse (1)those elements of health and social care which need to be strengthened, and (2) those aspects of entitlements for disabled children and their families and carers which need to be clarified; and what consequent action they are taking.

lord o'shaughnessy: The commissioning of health and social care services for children with disabilities is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups and local authorities respectively. Local commissioners are best placed to assess the needs of the local population and which areas may need strengthening. Clinical commissioning groups must ensure that they secure health services to meet the needs of disabled children to a reasonable extent.Children’s social care is the responsibility of the Department for Education. All disabled children are regarded as children ‘in need’ under the Children Act 1989 and may receive social care from the local authority. The Children and Families Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities to assess whether a parent carer in their area has needs for support.

Mental Health Services: Standards

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure mental health services provided by companies and charities are delivered to at least an adequate and safe standard.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registers, inspects, and rates providers of independent mental health services, following an expansion of the scope of performance assessments of providers regulated by the CQC. This includes private ‘companies’ and charities that provide regulated activities.As part of the CQC’s strategy, one of its priorities is to encourage improvement where it finds care that is not good. A copy of the strategy, Shaping the future: CQC’s strategy for 2016 to 2021, is attached.Using its independent voice, the CQC publishes examples of good practice and innovative care to encourage improvement. Additionally, where necessary, it can take enforcement action against registered providers who breach conditions of registration or relevant sections of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and other legislation that is relevant to achieving registration requirements.



Shaping the future
(PDF Document, 895.89 KB)

Department for Education

Higher Education: Pensions

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of funding they intend to make available to higher education institutions tomitigate the impact of changes to employer contributions on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

viscount younger of leckie: ​The department will be consulting on the impact that these costs will impose on all institutions covered by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, including those in the higher education (HE) sector, and will decide what action should be taken.At present, the department proposes to provide funding to schools, including state-funded, non-maintained special schools and independent special schools to cover increased pensions costs to ensure that funding is allocated where it is most needed.​This includes proposed funding for those further education (FE) providers obliged to offer the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, consisting of general FE colleges, sixth form colleges, designated institutions (including the new designated institutions that form part of HE institution group structures), specialist post-16 institutions and adult & community learning providers (local authority provision).

Higher Education: Pensions

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate anincrease in employer contributions for higher education institutions on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme following changes to actuarial valuations in 2019–20; and if so, what estimate they have made of the amount such an increase will represent.

viscount younger of leckie: For the financial year 2019-20, the changes will be implemented from 1 September 2019 for which the department estimates that £1.1 billion more will need to be put into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme by employers to ensure teachers’ pensions remain generous and attractive to the profession. Of the estimated £1.1 billion, affected higher education institutions are expected to put in £80 million.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliament: Official Visits

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much each Address to both Houses of Parliamentcost in each of the past 15 years.

lord mcfall of alcluith: In line with the Authorised Records Disposal Practice, records relating to financial information relating to State Visits and Addresses is kept for 5 years and then disposed of. The costs to Parliament for visits where records are available are listed in the table below. These vary depending on whether the event was held in the Royal Gallery or Robing Room. Costs of addresses in Westminster Hall are not available. It should be noted that additional costs related to translation, sound and AV services, catering and, in a number of cases, ticketing and programmes are borne by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EventDateLocationPorterageFurnishingsCost of halting planned maintenanceFlowersTicketing and printingState Visit by the King and Queen of The Netherlands23 October 2018Royal Gallery£7,235.00£4,930.40£2,500.00£1,100.00£109.68State Visit by the King and Queen of Spain12 July 2017Royal Gallery£6,169.00£4,925.85£3,000.00£480.00n/aAddress by President of Columbia1 November 2016Robing Room£3,046.00£2,907.48n/a£540.00n/aAddress by President of Indonesia19 April 2016Robing Room£3,046.00£490.00n/a£462.00n/aSpeech by Prime Minister of India12 November 2015Royal Gallery£2,350.00£6,965.76n/a£418.00n/aAddress by the Prime Minister of China20 October 2015Royal Gallery£5,800.00£8,678.85£1,300.00£418.00n/aState Visit by the President of Mexico3 March 2015Robing Room£3,046.00£1,497.00n/a£740.00n/aAddress by the President of Singapore21 October 2014Robing Room£3,046.00£941.16n/a£470.00n/aAddress by the President of Ireland8 April 2014Royal Gallery£5,450.00£2,703.50n/a£300.00n/aAddress by the Chancellor of Germany27 February 2014Royal Gallery£5,450.00£3,110.00n/a£300.00n/a

House of Lords: Expenditure

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the total cost to the House ofthe (1) Catering and Retail Service, (2)Department ofFacilities, (3) Finance Department, (4) Human Resources Office, (5) Parliamentary Digital Service, (6)Library, (7) clerks and procedural services, and (8)Commissioner for Standards in the latest financial year for which figures are available; and what were the comparative figures for the 2005–6 financial year.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The costs for 2017-18 were as follows:   2017-18 £000s1. Catering and Retail Services 1,3462. Department of Facilities 1,8633. Finance Department 1,4414. Human Resources Office 1,6915. Parliamentary Digital Service 14,5366. Library 2,3847. Clerks and Procedural Services 15,383 The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Committee Office, Hansard, Journal Office, Communications Office, Legislation Office, and the Lord Speaker’s Office. Costs for the Commissioner of Standards are not separately identifiable and are within the Clerks and Procedural Services figure. In 2005-06 some offices and departments listed above did not exist, and since 2005-06 there have also been other changes to the roles and functions of offices and departments across the Administration; this makes providing comparison figures more difficult. The costs for 2005-06 were as follows:  2005-06 £000s1. Catering and Retail Services (was the Refreshment Department)1,7292. Department of Facilities (did not exist – costs of the Attendants and Housekeepers sections)1,0133. Finance Department1,2724. Human Resources Office9425. Parliamentary Digital Service (did not exist – costs of Computer Office, ICT and telecommunications sections)2,8606. Library2,9267. Clerks and Procedural Services11,816 The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Doorkeepers, Committee Office, Hansard, Journal and Information Office, Legislation Office, and the Printed Paper Office.

Peers: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much was paid to members of the House in allowances in each of the last 15 years.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The total paid to Members of the House in allowances, travel and subsistence expenses under the Members Finance Scheme in relation to attendance at the House of Lords in each of the last 15 years was as follows:Financial YearTotal £000s2017-1817,6042016-1721,8722015-1618,7872014-1519,6382013-1420,6582012-1319,6372011-1221,6112010-1117,8562009-1016,0332008-0917,5142007-0817,1522006-0716,3062005-0614,4012004-0513,3552003-0412,574The scheme of financial support for Members changed on 1 October 2010. Prior to then, in addition to travel costs, Members could claim reimbursement of expenses under categories entitled Overnight Subsistence, Day Subsistence, and Office Costs.The totals differ from the summary numbers published in the notes to the annual Resource Accounts as to be consistent with classification over a long period of time the above totals only include amounts paid for travel, Daily Allowance (since 1 October 2010), Overnight Subsistence, Day Subsistence and Office Costs (prior to 1 October 2010).

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what allowance is paid to civil servants from outside London for accommodation when they are required to stay in London as part of their employment.

lord young of cookham: There is no central government travel, subsistence and expenses (T,S&E) policy, and as such, rates and allowances are delegated for individual departments to decide upon. In setting their rates departments must be adherent with Section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code (CSMC), Jon Thompson's 2010 review of Civil Service expense policies and The Efficiency and Reform Group Business Travel Policy Principles launched on 20 July 2011.As there is no cross-government T,S&E policy, there is no centrally held information on the accommodation allowance paid by departments to non-London based civil servants when they are required to stay in London as part of their employment. This information will be held in individual departments.

Treasury

Married People: Tax Allowances

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what projections they have made for expenditure on the Marriage Allowance in 2019–20, following changes to the basic and higher rates of personal tax allowance.

lord bates: The estimated cost of Marriage Allowance is shown annually in the HMRC publication ‘Estimated costs of principal tax reliefs’ up to the current tax year and will be available for 2018-19 in the next publication (in early 2019). An estimate of future years cost is not provided as there is still uncertainty around the increase in take-up by the end of 2019-20.

Taxation

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that current Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rules relating to tax residency will be adhered to following Brexit.

lord bates: The UK will continue to adhere to the OECD’s tax standards after Brexit. These include the provisions relating to residence in the OECD model treaty.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Charities: Lobbying

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether public funds are used to support charities which lobby government departments; and if so, to what purpose.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government's Grant Standards include a requirement for grant agreements to provide a clear description of how funding should be spent which precludes the use of government funding for paid for lobbying, where lobbying is not a requirement of the grant. Providing feedback to a department on a funded programme, or responding to public consultations, where the topic is relevant to the objectives of the grant scheme, for example, would be permitted, as described in the guidance which supports the Grant Standards. Grant Standards do not restrict how charities spend their non-government funding. This ensures public funds are used as intended and protects charities independence, freedom of speech and their ability to contribute their expertise to policy development.

American Football

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the development of American football in the UK.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government is committed to supporting people to take part in sport and physical activity regardless of their background or ability. Over the 2017-2021 period, Sport England is investing over £1 billion to support people to get physically active in whatever way best suits them. Since 2004 Sport England has invested over £10 million into projects where American football has been a beneficiary, on its own or as part of a multi-sport project.

American Football

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing a National Football League franchise in the UK.

lord ashton of hyde: While a decision on establishing a franchise in the UK is a matter for the National Football League, the Government is very supportive of their ambition to do so. The 2018 London games were another great success, with average attendances of 85,000 demonstrating the strong appetite for American football in the UK. We are delighted at the NFL’s announcement of four London games in 2019, at Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium.

Television: Equality

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by Ofcom, Diversity and Equal Opportunities in Television, published on 14 September 2017, what assessment they have made of any progress in increasing diversity in this sector.

lord ashton of hyde: Ofcom’s annual diversity monitoring report is a key tool in measuring how much progress the industry is making in increasing diversity in the sector. The report, which is attached, can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/121683/diversity-in-TV-2018-report.PDF Now in its second year, the report makes clear that broadcasters still have much work to do to make their workforces more representative and reduce data gaps so a more accurate picture can be built. The government supports Ofcom’s work and expects broadcasters to voluntarily publish data on all diversity characteristics, not just the ones they are obliged to by law, to ensure that Ofcom is able to produce the most comprehensive reports possible.



Diversity & equal opportunities in television 2018
(PDF Document, 4.79 MB)

Broadband: Greater London

lord stevens of ludgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what progress has been made on the installation of superfast broadband in Central London.

lord ashton of hyde: We do not hold specific statistics for Central London, but the thinkbroadband website states that in London 97% of both residential and business premises have access to a superfast service. DCMS has made superfast broadband available to more than 95% of the country through its Superfast programme, and at least a further 2% is likely to be achieved. Of which, 340,000 premises (over 1% of premises) are contracted to be delivered by March 2019. However where the government can intervene in the marketplace is determined by State Aid rules which are designed to avoid distortions in functioning markets. This means that in the majority of urban areas – including Central London – where there is competition between suppliers, the government is unable to invest in broadband. These commercial areas were identified during the planning phases of superfast broadband projects. The reason for this approach was to avoid investing scarce public funds in an area that were going to get superfast connections through commercial arrangements and/or to avoid public investment distorting the normal functioning of a competitive broadband market.